IMPERIAL TROOPS.

Southland Times, Issue 1077, 21 December 1868, Page 2

IMPERIAL TROOPS.

The subjoined report of the speech of Dr Featherstone, Superintendent of Wellington, delivered at a public meeting held in that city, is fresh evideuce that the leading mem in the colony condemn the war policy of the Government, and advocate the employment of Imperial troops. We take the speech from the ' Wellington Independent.' Dr Featherston said : — " This meeting, as you are aware, has been convened for the purpose of taking into consideration the present state of native affairs in this island, and to express heartfelt sympathy with the friends and relatives of those settlers who have been so atrociously massacred in Poverty Bay. Although the duty which devolves upon me as chairman is to maintain order and to secure for every speaker a fair and impartial hearing, and to confine the meeting to the objects for which it has been convened, still 1 trust I may be permitted to make .one or two observations. In presiding on this occasion, lam naturally anxious there should be no misconception about the views I entertain as to the present almost desperate condition of native affairs, or as to the means which, I believe, are alone calculated to extricate us from the difficulties which seem to threaten to involve eveiy man in this island with utter and actual ruin. I must say that, whatever opinions you may in times past have expressed ; however strongly you may have committed yourselves to any particular policy, the time has now arrived that you. should re-consider those opinions, and review that 'past policy, and then say whether, under the altered circumstances of this island, in a different state of affairs, and with the benefit of 3' our past you are justified any longer in advocating a policy or maintaining a course of actiou which has already been fraught with such grave and frightful disasters. (Cheers.) And my fellow settlers, however much we may have disagreed and still differ on mauy questions, I feel assured there is ono point on which we are of one mind ; that never since the foundation of this colony has it been in such imminent danger, has there been such a sacrifice of life and property, such an utter sense of insecurity, such complete uupreparedness to copa with an enemy (ehears) whose uninterrupted successes have inspired him with almost unbounded confidence, and rallied round his standard a large number of natives, who had before been either loyal, or neutral, and have not tended to raise the spirits of our fellow settlers and of those natives who still and ever will remain staunch and loyal to us. 1 repeat, you are bound, aud especially in this city, which, in ali probability, will not be exposed directly to the misfortunes of war ; where you will not yourself be exposed to personal danger, or witness the destruction of your property — you are especially bound in the interests of the settlers of the outlying districts to calmly and maturely consider the present position of this Island. My views with respect to the native question, and the best means of defending this Island from native aggres-

sion are too well known* an 4 navY }fcq£ too often repeated in this haU to jtistif^ me in reiterating them. I will only u,f that far from seeing any reason for modifying, or altering, or changing those views in the slightest degree; reQent events have only further confirmed* mein them, and made .me regret that, the warning I gave when the proposal for removing the troops was first made; was entirely ignored and almost, uuanimousl^ scouted. I believe, I need not reminq you, that after General Chute returried from the West Coast campaign, hay* ing given orders to hia, officers to* allow the enemy no peace, but to harass and attack them day by day, he was so impressed with the conviction that the withdrawal of troops would render the j campaign fruitless, and would lead to ft rising ; that at his request I went to Sir i George Grey, so as to have Mi dpiriioii ! placed on record that it was absolutely necessary for the peace and safety of the colony, that at least 3000 Imperial troops should be retained in the colony. I entreated — I almost went on my knees to Sir George Grey to have this opinion recorded, while General Chute would not take on himself the responsibility of rei moving a single soldier until an answer" was received from the Imperial Government. Sir George Grey said he could not adopt such a course, except on the advice o f his respontible Ministry ; and they refused to give any advice on the subject, or to say yea or nay, because they said that to retain the troops iniplied a payment of Jg4o a man. General Chute had then^no alternative but to carry out his instructions, abandon his posts, and send away the troops as fast as transports could be obtained. ; I J will venture to say there is not a single man in this room or in the colony who will not say that the advice of General Chute was the wisest and most prudent' which could have been adapted; nor any one who is acquainted with the- natives, who will say that that advice "was unsound; bT that if it had been followed, this rising would ever have taken place, and the colony would have been spared' ah awful sacrifice of life and property. — (Cheers.) I know that advice was not acceptable at the time to the majority of the. settlers ; j I know not whether it will be more acI ceptable now, but I never will shrink from discharging that which I believe to be my duty to my fellow colonists; 1 whether they think it right or not — (Cheers.) I feel further bound to tell you that within the last two or three weeks I have not hesitated to give Sir George Bowen similar advice. When I heard of the disasters at Wanganui, I urged Sir George Bowen to charter a vessel and demand all the available troops in the Australian colonies. I believe Sir George Bowen con* curred in that opinion, and would hare acted on it, but he also is in the position of Sir George Grey, and could, not act oil it except on the advice of his responsible advisers, but they declined a second time to give that advice. I do not -know whether you will concur with me in giving that advice, but I believe it will be utter ruin to this island, unless such an appeal is immediately made to the Australian colonies.— (Cheers.) i I never did believe in what is called the' selfreliant policy, and still less do I at this moment. I ever denounced it as a sham and a delusion, and a piece of maudlin sentiment not worthy of the name_ of a policy, if it can be called so, jmpracticcable and impossible to be carried out, for two simple reasons— first, you, hare not in this colony the material^for constituting an adequate colonial force ; and in the second place, you have not the wherewithal to pay them. When I say you have not the material in this colony to form an adequate force, let me not be understood to cast a slur on the gallantry of such colonial forces as you hare raised ; for probably few men in the colony have had more opportunities than I have had of seeing the gallantry of our own troops, when properly trained, t properly officered, and properly led. But I say it is all, very well for the Middle Island to clap the Northern Island on the back, and say "go into the field, and trust to your own strong hearts and stout arms," but I cannot see in the Middle Island any inclination to afford us assistance either in men or money. Nay, it is easy for the citizens here toteU the country settlers to go into' the field and protect themselves. It appears to me that self-reliance simply means that the out-settlers mast be called on to protect themselves without aid from the settlers in the centres of population, and to sacrifice their lives and properties ; but were they justified in running this risk, it is idle to expect untrained men to go into the field to meet such a foe as we have to contend, with with any auy reasonable chance of success ; but I will go further and remind you that the most powerful nation in the world seldom trusts to its unaided resources in time of need, but almost invariably before unsheating the sword seeks the support of other nations. Why then 'should we hesitate, to seek extraneous aid ? But in addition to our utter inability to form a colonial force, ready at this moment to take the .field, we have this" further difficulty — that we have not the sinews of war— the money to pay it. "We hare now a force of 2,000 men in the field at a cost of from £250,000 to £300,000 for the year, and yet no man believes that Less than double or treble that number of colonial forces will enable us to hold our own. You know we have abandoned territory after territory, thereby incurring claims to compensation, which already imonnt to an enormous sum. The Imperial Government has long expressed its readiness to give the colony: as many regiments is it desires for the peace and safety of the eountrv, provided' they are paid £40,000 for everyi 1000 men; so that 3000 Imperial troops would 4 ' cost the jolony much less than 2000 colonial forces ; and I for one, who have witnessed bhe conduct both of the colonial forces, of our native allies, and of the Imperial troops in the field, have no Hesitation in saying that one thousand troops are

equal to 3000 colonial forces. Looking tit it in' a money poiut of view it seems madness to trust any longer to our own unaided forces, or to hesitate in asking that those Imperial troops which should never have been removed should be restored to us. 1 never expected my advice would, have been so well received, but I felt it my duty to give it under the former conviction, that unless you speedily obtain Imperial aid such further disaster will follow that you will be obliged to abandon the outlying districts find fall back .on the cities alone, and entail a sacrifice of life and property, which it id impossible to estimate. — (Cheers.) Having impressed on you with all the warmth I could command the advice by which alone I believe the colony can be saved, I will now simply call on the gentlemen who convened the meeting to submit certain resolutions to you.— (Loud cheers.)